Skye was surprised the next day when Alcazar didn't come to take her to the
clinic himself. After the lengths he had gone to create such a luxurious
prison for her to recuperate in, she had expected him to show up and gloat
that for the moment he had her under his thumb and there wasn't anything
she could do about it. A cage, that is what this apartment is. Sure it
had every luxury imaginable. Skye couldn't exactly say that she had been
mistreated. Alcazar had provided a television with a hundred or so
channels. The library held all of her favorite authors. The walls of the
rooms were lined with paintings from her favorite artists. The bathroom
even came complete with a whirlpool tub and sauna. If things were enough
to keep Skye happy, this place would have had everything she needed to keep
her entertained.
Unfortunately, reading, watching TV and starring at paintings can get boring very quickly when that is all one has to do all day. That's when she noticed the little things, like no telephone or internet access, the bars over the windows, and the two goons stationed at her front door al all times to keep her from going out.
In her need to talk to someone, she tried to draw the mouse, as she had come to think of the nurse that Alcazar inflicted on her, into a conversation. Skye suspected that the reason he placed the woman here was to make her grateful when Alcazar did show up. If that was the case, it was working. She would prefer to exchange insults with the bastard than listen to another word that came out of the mouse's mouth.
After one week of this, Skye had had enough. One way or another, she was getting out and she was doing it today. It's not like she needed anymore medical care. She had all the medications that the doctor had given her. After one week in the hospital and one week locked in this apartment, except for felling slightly ill when she first woke up in the mornings, she felt fine. Skye was sure that the ill feeling in her stomach had more to do with the prospect of having to spend more time locked in this cage than an actual illness. Skye had prescribed her own cure, escaping at all costs.
That morning, Skye dressed in a couple of layers of clothes. She knew that when the chance came along, she wouldn't be able to take anything with her. All She would have is the clothes on her back. The thought of having so little was slightly unsettling to someone who had always been surrounded by luxuries, but the idea of staying here and waiting for Alcazar's next move scared her even more.
For money, Skye carefully rolled up some of her jewellery. She took out a jacket that had a fleece lining that could be removed so the jacket could be worn year round. She unzipped the lining, and placed her jewellery, passport and credit cards into it. This time of year, it was still cool enough in Paris that no one would question the need for a jacket. The medications, she placed in her purse. Skye was ready to go. Now all she needed was an opportunity.
---
Luis Alcazar frowned unhappily at the man in front of him. The man stood there nervously looking for a means of escaping should Alcazar take his current displeasure out on him. Under other circumstances, he might have found this man's attitude amusing. After all this man was one of his bodyguards. The guard was a foot taller than Alcazar and built like a WWF wrestler. Physically he could take just about anyone on.
"What the hell do you mean that she's gone?" Alcazar yelled. "How the hell could you loose her? I had two guards on her at all times and she was in a clinic were everyone worked for me."
"Apparently she went down the fire escape when the doctor gave her some privacy to change."
Alcazar swore. "How the hell did she end up in a room with an access to the fire escape?"
"Technically, the room didn't have direct access. The fire escape was one floor down. She ripped the curtain off the wall and used it as a rope to lower herself down. We searched the immediate grounds but there wasn't any sign of her."
"Spread the search out to include all of her favorite haunts in Paris. Have someone keep an eye on her credit card accounts. She doesn't' have much cash. She will have to use them sooner or later."
"Sir, I don't understand. Why did you let her keep her credit cards if you planned to keep her locked up?"
"For a situation just like this, of course. Even if she didn't have the cars, she would have tried to escape. The cards just will make it easier to track and recapture her."
"Sir, we have picked up inquiries to your whereabouts. They are coming from Jasper Jax. Our sources say that he knows that you are in Paris and he is on his way here. They also say that he has people monitoring Miss Skye's credit card activities also. He is looking for her."
"Damn. My impostor's conditioning must have broken down. Have him followed. If he finds Skye first, kill him and bring her to me."
"I thought that you didn't want to turn Mr Jacks into a martyr in Skye's eyes."
"My child is growing inside of her alongside that Jackass's kid. The entire field of this game has changed. It is time to get rid of the competition."
"Yes, sir. Do you want me to take him out now?"
"No, He could turn out to be useful in finding Skye. Track his movements and bug his phone. Don't do anything until we have Skye back."
"Yes, sir."
---
When the idea first came to Skye, she thought that she was nuts. It was too simple. No one would believe that Skye Chandler Quartermaine would climb out a window and lower myself to the fire escape a story below. Surely, they would find her. But she didn't have any better ideas and who knew if another opportunity would come along. So Skye tied the curtains together. First she tied one end to the bar at the bottom of the window and then she threw the other end out. Next, Skye jumped in to the closet and closed the door.
Skye couldn't believe it. They actually fell for it. Skye stood absolutely still as the doctor called the guards into the room. She waited holding her breath. She was sure that one of them would figure out that there was no way in hell that she would risk climbing down on such flimsy material, much less have the time to get away. At any moment, Skye expected one of them to say, 'search the room.'
But they didn't. The next thing she knew, they were ordering security and any other free personnel to go outside to help with the search. After about twenty minutes, Skye began to feel suffocated in that tiny space and decided to risk leaving her hiding spot. She couldn't leave the hospital yet. After all, everyone was outside of the building, looking for her. So Skye found an empty supply closet and went in. While there, she borrowed a doctor's coat and hid her hair under a surgical cap. Now she just had to find a place to wait until the search outside died down.
Slowly, Skye opened the door. When she saw that the hallway was clear, she left the closet and cautiously walked down the hall. As she neared the corner, she heard two people casually sue her name in conversation, walking in her direction. Skye quickly backed up a few steps, slipped into an empty office and locked the door. To her horror, she listened as one of the men tried to turn the doorknob, and then swear as he mumbled something about how he must have forgotten that he locked the door. Skye could hear the clink of the keys as he unlocked the door. The only piece of furniture in the damn room that was large enough to hide behind was the desk. Skye quickly hid herself under it and sent a silent prayer out to every god that she could think of that they would stay on the other side of that desk.
She could hear her heart pounding as they opened the door and walked in. As one of the men opened the closet door and hung up his coat, she thanked the stars that she didn't try that hiding spot again.
"So how far do you think she will get George?"
"It's hard to say. Alcazar will turn over every rock that he can find in order to get her back, especially now."
"Ordinarily, I would wish the woman luck. That bastard is absolutely insane."
"I know. When he first came to me and offered to fund all of this, he made it sound like he and his wife wanted to have a kid. Now I find out that not only is she not married to him, she doesn't like the guy and she doesn't have a clue that he had her impregnated."
"You should have seen Alcazar's face when I informed him that Miss Chandler was already pregnant and that the lining had enveloped the child in her womb and the one we implanted in her. He was going to order us to abort the entire pregnancy until I reminded him that here wouldn't be any second chances. We either go with this pregnancy, or she won't have a baby. He was pissed."
"I know. That same day, he made arrangements for when the babies are born. He wants her sedated. He wants the children tested before she comes to. He plans to get rid of the other child and tell her that it died."
"I wouldn't put it past the bastard to kill the child himself then tell her that it didn't make it."
"If they don't find her soon, that won't matter."
"Why is that?"
"The lining is only stable as long as she takes the medication. Once she stops, the womb will need to be removed within a week or it will kill her."
"My God! And she doesn't have a clue? But surely she will just get her prescription refilled."
"You don't actually think that we wrote what was in the bottle on the bottle do you? Those bottles say that she is taking antibiotics and vitamin pills. The only place you can find the real prescription is in this file."
A third man walked into the room. "Hey guys. They called off the search off the immediate area. The girl has had an hour and a half to get away. We figure that she's a long way from this place by now. I don't know about you two, but I could use a drink."
"Sure."
"Sounds good."
As the three left the room, Skye felt the tears rolling down her face. It was all that she could do to choke back a sob. 'My God. I'm going to have a baby. Jax's baby. Oh god and Alcazar's baby. That bastard. I wonder when the hell he planned to let me in on what he had done. Would he have really gotten rid of Jax's baby after I had carried the baby to term? Yes. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he would have killed the child. It wouldn't have been the first time. Ben, my third husband, married me because I was pregnant. Then he divorced me after the so-called accident that caused my miscarriage. No one believed me when I said that it wasn't an accident. They said I was just grieving for my lost child. I knew better. Alcazar had the nerve to send me a letter of apology that stated that he was sorry but he couldn't allow me to risk my life carrying another man's child. He even had gone on to say that the only child that I would ever have would he his.'
Skye reached down and soothed a hand over her stomach. No wonder she had been feeling ell the last couple of days. 'Oh God, two babies, the stakes have just been raised. It is more important now to get out than ever.' Skye eased out from under the desk. She reached for the file with her name on it. 'Nice of him to leave it out for me.' Skye pulled the papers out of the file, folded it in half and stuffed it in the purse with her medication.
Then Skye went to the closet, grabbed the doctor's coat and scarf and put it on. With her clothes covered with the doctor's long coat and her hair and face partially hidden with the scarf, Skye walked out the front door of the clinic. No one even looked at her twice.
---
Skye walked for two blocks when she realized exactly where she was. She was in Bercy on the edge of Paris. A century or so ago, it was an old wine district. All these little buildings used to be part of a major wine factory. Back in the days when wine was stored in huge barrels rather than battled up for resale, this is where the barrels were stored. Of course, the sine company had left long ago, but the buildings still remained. Someone had refurnished them and now it was a quaint little shopping district. I quickly ran through it to the underground metro stop that I knew was on the other side. Metro stop Cour St-Emilion. I didn't bother with the metro ticket. I just waited until someone went through, jumped over the turn wheel and bolted through the door like I had seen other do when they didn't have the money. Paris has a wonderful metro system. For 1,30 Euro, you can enter this underground train system and latterly go anywhere. This underground travel system is so large and complex that travels can find shops, restaurants, grocery stores, souvenir shops, gypsies, beggars and entertainers in its various passageways. It is like entering a small underground world that at times is busier than the one up above it. As Skye travelled through the various passageways and changed trains, she dropped the doctor's coat and scarf for one of the beggars to find. Then she headed toward a place where she knew that she could pawn her jewellery quickly.
Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, a flea market by the metro stop Porte de Clignancourt. Now this flea market is on the north side of Paris and it isn't a place that Skye would ordinarily recommend carrying valuables into. In fact, normally she would advise anyone going there to watch their wallet. But she didn't have time to worry about that today. She needed money, lots of it, and this was the fastest way to get it.
Skye went straight to the pawnbroker and offloaded her jewellery for a lot less than they were worth. After exchanging her clothes at another stall, she started to consider the problem of how to get out of Paris. There are four major train stations and two airports in Paris and she was sure that Alcazar had his men covering all of them, just like she knew that he would be monitoring her credit card transactions. Suddenly Skye started to smile. She had a sure means of getting Alcazar's men out of the airports.
Carefully, so no one could see what she was doing, Skye pulled out one of her credit cards and stuck it into a more accessible pocket. Then she started to walk slowly through the flea market. By the time she got to the other side, the Credit Card was long gone. Skye laughed. Someone was going to have fun charging things around Paris with that card. Once someone started charging on that card, Alcazar would have all of his men combing the area looking for her. She almost wished that she could see the look on their faces when they finally figure out that they are tracking a pickpocket instead of her.
Skye waited about an hour. She was sure that the pickpocket wouldn't wait long to use the card out of fear that the card would be cancelled. She wasn't about to cancel that card. Whatever the thief charges to that account before Alcazar's men get their hands on the culprit will be a small price to pay for getting away.
Skye walked into the airport, walked to the counter and paid for her ticket in cash. Fifteen minutes later, one Toni Calloway, as she was registered in the flight manifest, was boarding a plane for Seville, Spain.
Unfortunately, reading, watching TV and starring at paintings can get boring very quickly when that is all one has to do all day. That's when she noticed the little things, like no telephone or internet access, the bars over the windows, and the two goons stationed at her front door al all times to keep her from going out.
In her need to talk to someone, she tried to draw the mouse, as she had come to think of the nurse that Alcazar inflicted on her, into a conversation. Skye suspected that the reason he placed the woman here was to make her grateful when Alcazar did show up. If that was the case, it was working. She would prefer to exchange insults with the bastard than listen to another word that came out of the mouse's mouth.
After one week of this, Skye had had enough. One way or another, she was getting out and she was doing it today. It's not like she needed anymore medical care. She had all the medications that the doctor had given her. After one week in the hospital and one week locked in this apartment, except for felling slightly ill when she first woke up in the mornings, she felt fine. Skye was sure that the ill feeling in her stomach had more to do with the prospect of having to spend more time locked in this cage than an actual illness. Skye had prescribed her own cure, escaping at all costs.
That morning, Skye dressed in a couple of layers of clothes. She knew that when the chance came along, she wouldn't be able to take anything with her. All She would have is the clothes on her back. The thought of having so little was slightly unsettling to someone who had always been surrounded by luxuries, but the idea of staying here and waiting for Alcazar's next move scared her even more.
For money, Skye carefully rolled up some of her jewellery. She took out a jacket that had a fleece lining that could be removed so the jacket could be worn year round. She unzipped the lining, and placed her jewellery, passport and credit cards into it. This time of year, it was still cool enough in Paris that no one would question the need for a jacket. The medications, she placed in her purse. Skye was ready to go. Now all she needed was an opportunity.
---
Luis Alcazar frowned unhappily at the man in front of him. The man stood there nervously looking for a means of escaping should Alcazar take his current displeasure out on him. Under other circumstances, he might have found this man's attitude amusing. After all this man was one of his bodyguards. The guard was a foot taller than Alcazar and built like a WWF wrestler. Physically he could take just about anyone on.
"What the hell do you mean that she's gone?" Alcazar yelled. "How the hell could you loose her? I had two guards on her at all times and she was in a clinic were everyone worked for me."
"Apparently she went down the fire escape when the doctor gave her some privacy to change."
Alcazar swore. "How the hell did she end up in a room with an access to the fire escape?"
"Technically, the room didn't have direct access. The fire escape was one floor down. She ripped the curtain off the wall and used it as a rope to lower herself down. We searched the immediate grounds but there wasn't any sign of her."
"Spread the search out to include all of her favorite haunts in Paris. Have someone keep an eye on her credit card accounts. She doesn't' have much cash. She will have to use them sooner or later."
"Sir, I don't understand. Why did you let her keep her credit cards if you planned to keep her locked up?"
"For a situation just like this, of course. Even if she didn't have the cars, she would have tried to escape. The cards just will make it easier to track and recapture her."
"Sir, we have picked up inquiries to your whereabouts. They are coming from Jasper Jax. Our sources say that he knows that you are in Paris and he is on his way here. They also say that he has people monitoring Miss Skye's credit card activities also. He is looking for her."
"Damn. My impostor's conditioning must have broken down. Have him followed. If he finds Skye first, kill him and bring her to me."
"I thought that you didn't want to turn Mr Jacks into a martyr in Skye's eyes."
"My child is growing inside of her alongside that Jackass's kid. The entire field of this game has changed. It is time to get rid of the competition."
"Yes, sir. Do you want me to take him out now?"
"No, He could turn out to be useful in finding Skye. Track his movements and bug his phone. Don't do anything until we have Skye back."
"Yes, sir."
---
When the idea first came to Skye, she thought that she was nuts. It was too simple. No one would believe that Skye Chandler Quartermaine would climb out a window and lower myself to the fire escape a story below. Surely, they would find her. But she didn't have any better ideas and who knew if another opportunity would come along. So Skye tied the curtains together. First she tied one end to the bar at the bottom of the window and then she threw the other end out. Next, Skye jumped in to the closet and closed the door.
Skye couldn't believe it. They actually fell for it. Skye stood absolutely still as the doctor called the guards into the room. She waited holding her breath. She was sure that one of them would figure out that there was no way in hell that she would risk climbing down on such flimsy material, much less have the time to get away. At any moment, Skye expected one of them to say, 'search the room.'
But they didn't. The next thing she knew, they were ordering security and any other free personnel to go outside to help with the search. After about twenty minutes, Skye began to feel suffocated in that tiny space and decided to risk leaving her hiding spot. She couldn't leave the hospital yet. After all, everyone was outside of the building, looking for her. So Skye found an empty supply closet and went in. While there, she borrowed a doctor's coat and hid her hair under a surgical cap. Now she just had to find a place to wait until the search outside died down.
Slowly, Skye opened the door. When she saw that the hallway was clear, she left the closet and cautiously walked down the hall. As she neared the corner, she heard two people casually sue her name in conversation, walking in her direction. Skye quickly backed up a few steps, slipped into an empty office and locked the door. To her horror, she listened as one of the men tried to turn the doorknob, and then swear as he mumbled something about how he must have forgotten that he locked the door. Skye could hear the clink of the keys as he unlocked the door. The only piece of furniture in the damn room that was large enough to hide behind was the desk. Skye quickly hid herself under it and sent a silent prayer out to every god that she could think of that they would stay on the other side of that desk.
She could hear her heart pounding as they opened the door and walked in. As one of the men opened the closet door and hung up his coat, she thanked the stars that she didn't try that hiding spot again.
"So how far do you think she will get George?"
"It's hard to say. Alcazar will turn over every rock that he can find in order to get her back, especially now."
"Ordinarily, I would wish the woman luck. That bastard is absolutely insane."
"I know. When he first came to me and offered to fund all of this, he made it sound like he and his wife wanted to have a kid. Now I find out that not only is she not married to him, she doesn't like the guy and she doesn't have a clue that he had her impregnated."
"You should have seen Alcazar's face when I informed him that Miss Chandler was already pregnant and that the lining had enveloped the child in her womb and the one we implanted in her. He was going to order us to abort the entire pregnancy until I reminded him that here wouldn't be any second chances. We either go with this pregnancy, or she won't have a baby. He was pissed."
"I know. That same day, he made arrangements for when the babies are born. He wants her sedated. He wants the children tested before she comes to. He plans to get rid of the other child and tell her that it died."
"I wouldn't put it past the bastard to kill the child himself then tell her that it didn't make it."
"If they don't find her soon, that won't matter."
"Why is that?"
"The lining is only stable as long as she takes the medication. Once she stops, the womb will need to be removed within a week or it will kill her."
"My God! And she doesn't have a clue? But surely she will just get her prescription refilled."
"You don't actually think that we wrote what was in the bottle on the bottle do you? Those bottles say that she is taking antibiotics and vitamin pills. The only place you can find the real prescription is in this file."
A third man walked into the room. "Hey guys. They called off the search off the immediate area. The girl has had an hour and a half to get away. We figure that she's a long way from this place by now. I don't know about you two, but I could use a drink."
"Sure."
"Sounds good."
As the three left the room, Skye felt the tears rolling down her face. It was all that she could do to choke back a sob. 'My God. I'm going to have a baby. Jax's baby. Oh god and Alcazar's baby. That bastard. I wonder when the hell he planned to let me in on what he had done. Would he have really gotten rid of Jax's baby after I had carried the baby to term? Yes. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he would have killed the child. It wouldn't have been the first time. Ben, my third husband, married me because I was pregnant. Then he divorced me after the so-called accident that caused my miscarriage. No one believed me when I said that it wasn't an accident. They said I was just grieving for my lost child. I knew better. Alcazar had the nerve to send me a letter of apology that stated that he was sorry but he couldn't allow me to risk my life carrying another man's child. He even had gone on to say that the only child that I would ever have would he his.'
Skye reached down and soothed a hand over her stomach. No wonder she had been feeling ell the last couple of days. 'Oh God, two babies, the stakes have just been raised. It is more important now to get out than ever.' Skye eased out from under the desk. She reached for the file with her name on it. 'Nice of him to leave it out for me.' Skye pulled the papers out of the file, folded it in half and stuffed it in the purse with her medication.
Then Skye went to the closet, grabbed the doctor's coat and scarf and put it on. With her clothes covered with the doctor's long coat and her hair and face partially hidden with the scarf, Skye walked out the front door of the clinic. No one even looked at her twice.
---
Skye walked for two blocks when she realized exactly where she was. She was in Bercy on the edge of Paris. A century or so ago, it was an old wine district. All these little buildings used to be part of a major wine factory. Back in the days when wine was stored in huge barrels rather than battled up for resale, this is where the barrels were stored. Of course, the sine company had left long ago, but the buildings still remained. Someone had refurnished them and now it was a quaint little shopping district. I quickly ran through it to the underground metro stop that I knew was on the other side. Metro stop Cour St-Emilion. I didn't bother with the metro ticket. I just waited until someone went through, jumped over the turn wheel and bolted through the door like I had seen other do when they didn't have the money. Paris has a wonderful metro system. For 1,30 Euro, you can enter this underground train system and latterly go anywhere. This underground travel system is so large and complex that travels can find shops, restaurants, grocery stores, souvenir shops, gypsies, beggars and entertainers in its various passageways. It is like entering a small underground world that at times is busier than the one up above it. As Skye travelled through the various passageways and changed trains, she dropped the doctor's coat and scarf for one of the beggars to find. Then she headed toward a place where she knew that she could pawn her jewellery quickly.
Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, a flea market by the metro stop Porte de Clignancourt. Now this flea market is on the north side of Paris and it isn't a place that Skye would ordinarily recommend carrying valuables into. In fact, normally she would advise anyone going there to watch their wallet. But she didn't have time to worry about that today. She needed money, lots of it, and this was the fastest way to get it.
Skye went straight to the pawnbroker and offloaded her jewellery for a lot less than they were worth. After exchanging her clothes at another stall, she started to consider the problem of how to get out of Paris. There are four major train stations and two airports in Paris and she was sure that Alcazar had his men covering all of them, just like she knew that he would be monitoring her credit card transactions. Suddenly Skye started to smile. She had a sure means of getting Alcazar's men out of the airports.
Carefully, so no one could see what she was doing, Skye pulled out one of her credit cards and stuck it into a more accessible pocket. Then she started to walk slowly through the flea market. By the time she got to the other side, the Credit Card was long gone. Skye laughed. Someone was going to have fun charging things around Paris with that card. Once someone started charging on that card, Alcazar would have all of his men combing the area looking for her. She almost wished that she could see the look on their faces when they finally figure out that they are tracking a pickpocket instead of her.
Skye waited about an hour. She was sure that the pickpocket wouldn't wait long to use the card out of fear that the card would be cancelled. She wasn't about to cancel that card. Whatever the thief charges to that account before Alcazar's men get their hands on the culprit will be a small price to pay for getting away.
Skye walked into the airport, walked to the counter and paid for her ticket in cash. Fifteen minutes later, one Toni Calloway, as she was registered in the flight manifest, was boarding a plane for Seville, Spain.